A New Life
by VisualIDentificationZeta
Summary: SUMMARY: just when Jack thought his life was over and he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, he received his second chance for life. Would he take it? Sequel to RSVP... COMPLETE


TITLE: A New Life

AUTHOR: Vid Z.

PAIRINGS: Jack/Other

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show Stargate: SG-1 are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: sequel to "RSVP", a happy resolution for Jack, because I never want him to end up miserable. Read the prequel to know what it's about.

On the side note, have never even imagined this would happen.

This fic has namely reached that magical mark.

100.

Yes, one hundred posted fics. Who would've thought that I, a guy with a serious aversion towards typing, would ever get this far. Thank you all for sticking through the years with me, supporting me, cheering me on even when I was so disillusioned that I just wanted to give up and say to hell with it all.

My biggest thanks to Lynnp and her hubby and Suz for sticking with me from the very first beginning, even when I didn't even know of ff. net, to the present. Thank you, ladies and gentleman, you have my eternal gratitude.

SUMMARY: just when Jack thought his life was over and he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, he received the second chance for life. Would he take it? Sequel to "RSVP".

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THE EVENING OF SAM'S WEDDING, A BAR IN COLORADO SPRINGS

Jack looked at his watch and regret for 'what could've been' shook him. According to the time Sam must've already married the IQ-challenged cop and right now they were probably at their reception with speeches being said about what a perfect couple they were and how right they were for each other.

Jack snorted. Mark was probably beaming at having coupled up his sister with his best friend and thus made the first step towards drawing her out of the military.

He was sure Daniel and Teal'c looked like they were watching a most horrible show being played out before them, he knew that neither of them liked Shanahan or supported Sam's relationship with the man, something they had never bothered to hide.

Jack wondered when he would get a request from Sam to be taken off the team and delegated to the labs. And when she'd give him her resignation to fulfill her control freak-of-a-husband's demands. He was sure the day would come because it was clear that the guy resented the secrecy around her job and the sole fact that her job was more important and bigger in the scope of things than his. He'd definitely try to get her to quit and switch over to the civilian sector, for a 'safer' job.

Thankfully Jack was prevented from sinking even deeper into his depression by someone taking a seat next to him at the bar.

He glanced quickly to the side to make sure that no psycho killer or an alien, or perhaps Ba'al's clone, had taken a seat next to him and looked away when it checked out safe.

Then looked back quickly.

"LtCol Hamilton?" he asked surprised at seeing the beautiful Astronomer, that had transferred to the Pentagon a year ago, sitting next to him.

The woman looked up and smiled. "General O'Neill?"

"It's good to see you again, but aren't you supposed to be in DC?"

Rachel smiled, pleased that he still remembered her, especially considering it'd been a year since she'd left the SGC. Every woman is pleased when a man, especially a good looking man, remembers her even years after they'd last seen each other. She obviously must've made a good impression on him, cause he never hid antipathy towards a person. And here he was now, actually pleased and happy to see her.

"I'm on leave and came to visit my family."

"Ah." that was all he said and Rachel was sensitive enough not to ask what he was doing in the bar, having read the wedding announcement in the paper. He obviously had every intention of drinking himself blind.

He would hate himself in the morning, she knew it, but there might be a way... Perhaps they could each do the other a favor and both profit from it. In the space of a second she made the decision she had no idea would change her life for good.

"Come on, sir, let's go." she said, standing up, and waved the bartender away.

Jack looked at her bewildered. "Go? Where?"

"I can't leave you here, sir, you'll hate yourself in the morning. Besides, this would be just the thing your and SGC's enemies would need to discredit you and I respect and like you too much to allow that to happen to you." Jack was caving in, she knew it and he knew it.

Rachel was playing just the right cards. He'd never endanger the programme and if his enemies would find out that he was getting drunk because the woman he'd once said would rather die with than live without was getting married, who was also his subordinate and ex-2IC, it would be like a Christmas gift to them to shut him down and put one of their own at the head of the SGC.

Now for the final nail in the coffin of his resistane. Jack was a chivalrous guy and if playing a damsel in distress would be needed to get him out of his self-pity and move on, start living again, then she would do it.

"I have a family reunion tonight and would be immensely grateful if you'd come with me, to keep the well-meaning aunties away. If I hear another 'When will you find a nice man and settled down' once again I swear I'll start shooting and I don't want to go to prison for shooting my relatives. And if I have you there with me they'll leave me alone. I'll be eternally grateful if you do this for me."

Jack felt his heart melt when he looked into those pleading brown eyes, so much like his, and the last of his walls crumbled.

He knew she was right, he shouldn't be drowning himself in drinking, it wasn't good for him nor for the programme. Besides, he'd lost Carter a year ago when she'd decided to leave him behind and take it up with that schmuck. He'd never had her, had always known that he'd never have her, because her career had and would always come first to her and she'd never endanger it for him, even if she was still single, so why was he still pining away for her? She was married now, out of his reach forever, even if the regs would somehow be gone.

He was a survivor, had survived 25 years in Spec Ops and Black Ops, had survived the death of his son, the death of his marriage, the death of his best friend because of a snake who'd taken Kawalsky over, the deaths of his other friends and his own countless extremely painful and traumatic deaths at Ba'al's hands.

He was a survivor, he needed himself to be a survivor, the world needed him to be a survivor and he would survive this as well and move on.

With a decisive nod he changed his destiny. "Okay, I'm in." then he slammed the bills on the counter, pulled his jacket on, helped Rachel into hers and motioned her ahead of him.

Today was the first day of the rest of his life and this time he would not blow the chance, he would not waste it like he'd done with the others, he would grab it with both hands and hold on to it with everything he had.

As he watched the gorgeous brunette walking ahead of him towards the bar's exit he had a niggling feeling that she would play a leading role in his new life, in the decades yet to come and, even though he told himself he was too old for her, this time he would not let his insecurities and issues stand in the way of happiness for both of them.

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A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, Dr Daniel Jackson's apartment

While visiting her old friend Daniel Jackson, civilian researcher Dr Samantha Shanahan was sitting in the living room of her ex-teammate's apartment, waiting for him to get them coffee. While she was boredly looking around the room she spotted a tastefully done envelope lying on the coffee table together with a few magazines and bills. Recognizing the style immediately she took it in her hand, curious as to who was getting married, sure that it was one of her former friends from the SGC. Since she'd given in to Pete's demands and resigned from the SGC and the Air Force, getting into the civilian sector, she'd lost contact with everyone at the SGC. If she was truthful she'd lost contact even before, her then-boyfriend having demanded all of her off-duty time and attention to be spent on him, which resulted in her estranging herself from her colleagues.

She took out the invitation, only for it to fall to the ground a second later, forgotten, while she pressed a shaking hand to her wobbling lips.

The text had shaken her to the core with the realization that she'd really lost him.

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of Major General Dr. John O'Neill and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Rachel Hamilton on the day..._

THE END

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